smartdriving.co.uk Reviews 280

Had Daryl as my driving instructor, he was very professional and helped me a lot on my Journey. Would 100% recommend, made me feel at ease and comfortable. Did not feel like I was being watched or judged on anyway, if I did make a fault they were very understanding and guided me in the right direction.

Passed my ADI Pt1 theory test yesterday (first attempt 96%). During the webinar on how to pass Pt1 I was told to trust the process (it seems to work). The support team are very quick to respond to enquiries and emails, normally within 24 hours. I’m looking forward to support and guidance from the team to help me pass the next stage.

Stay away all about terms and conditions rather that compassion …

⭐ 1 Star

My experience with SmartDriving was very disappointing.

I enrolled and paid a £250 deposit. Shortly afterwards my circumstances changed as I became a full-time carer for my father who required surgery and ongoing care.

I contacted the company to explain my situation and asked to cancel the course as I had barely used the training. The company refused to refund the deposit and initially insisted that I was still responsible for the remaining payments under the contract.

Because of this I had to raise a dispute with my bank. After reviewing all the evidence and communication, my bank ruled in my favour and refunded the £250.

I would strongly recommend that anyone considering this programme carefully read the contract terms and fully understand the refund policy before signing up.

Thank you for your response.

However, I do not agree with the way this situation has been represented. I explained my circumstances to your company shortly after enrolling, including the fact that I am a full-time registered carer and that my father required knee surgery. Despite this, my request to cancel and resolve the matter fairly was refused.

As the issue could not be resolved directly, I raised the matter with my bank through the formal chargeback process. After reviewing all the evidence and communications, the bank investigated the case and the £250 payment has now been refunded to my account.

You state that the chargeback was fraudulent, however the bank reviewed the case independently before making their decision.

I also note that you have since confirmed that no further payments will be taken from my account, which effectively ends the agreement.

I am simply sharing my genuine experience and the final outcome so that others can make their own informed decision.

All good in the beginning. Trouble is, I had a few family issues, lost both my father and father in law 14 months apart. Also my son had been going through tests at the time, been diagnosed with autism. This was just after I signed, They lumbered a load of work to do. I just couldn’t do it at the time. So credit to them when I told them, they extended the course. But I just wasn’t ready. So I left it for over 2 years. Last month I booked my theory and passed my part 1. Then I emailed them to say I was ready to start my part 2. They wanted another £799 on top of the £799 I paid in the beginning. Tried to reason with them and they didn’t want to know. Never had any contact from them to see if I was ready to carry on. Happy enough to take my money though!!

David Parry!!

Course support is poor . contacting them is nye on impossible , facebook seesm to be the main resource where they use students to answer other students questions

very understaffed and not well structured teaching materials, I have moved to another school and have now experienced what I had hoped Drive would be

Drive feels very much like their business model is based on high investment is sales recruitemnt and not in training or retaining

Thank goodness I did not pay UP FRONT

Very much a sales ethos over enegagement

Passed my ADI Pt1 theory test (first attempt) today, Friday 20 Feb 2026. I couldn't do all these without the continuous guidance and advise provided by smart driving support team. Exceptional advocate and is a champion in this line of work. Resources given were just what you need to lift you from scratch. Thank God.

I was given all information needed,all question's answered on webinar,follow calls were promptly answered and support has been throughout the process,thanks Sarah & Vicky

Can't fault the help I've received so far from the support team. Everything I have needed help with has been actioned within 24 hrs of asking and so far everything has been explained to me in easy terms. Looking forward to completing the course knowing I have excellent on hand support.🙂

I've been training to be an ADI with SmartDriving and & am just starting the part 3 study. Some criticise the "larger schools" and franchises but I have to say to date, I've been very impressed. The online material and access to tools is extremely good and comprehensive. Yes, you need to put in the work but this is a career so you'd expect that. But all the information is there and when you need help, you get it. The face to face training was superb and reinforces everything you've previously learnt online. The support team are very responsive and you feel like they have your back if you have any questions. Add to that the online community, webinars etc. and in my opinion at least, the overall package is a good one.

I'll be honest, I had my doubts at first and it took a few weeks for me to sign up! But I haven't regretted it at all and have thoroughly enjoyed the journey so far. I'm now looking forward to the next phase.

Good quality practice material and helpful support staff. A trusted partner for this journey

Great training material, help at hand if you need anything.
Lovely and friendly people.
Andy the ADI who I did the 8 hours drive time with was brilliant, really helpful with advice.
Very imformative and enjoyable course work

When looking at the driving school companies and providers to become an ADI driving instructor I undertook to do my usual due diligence. This is why I selected SmartDrive. The package, the price, the agreement going forward and the support package available. I was not disappointed, they have supported me the whole way and are understanding helpful and efficient. I would recommend this course out of the many providers available. But don’t just take my word for it, check them out for yourself !

Good communication,clear and friendly team

Just signed up about 10 days ago. All good so far, very professional

I had my CBT a few weeks ago. The whole process was first class. I booked with Alan and had my CBT with John. I cant recommend SMART AYRSHIRE highly enough. I will book for driving lessons soon.i will also upgrade with CBT soon too.

The training team are super helpful, making clear any questions I have had. Next steps are easy to follow, and the webinars I’ve attended are very useful. Big thanks for helping me on my journey so far.

Training is well set out and presented, the training team are always on hand, friendly and helpful.